Love Soon
by spendthenightwithyou
Summary: what happens when one tiny event shakes up your whole world? will you go for it? or will you crumble under the pressure? rated T for language. my first fanfic. PHEELY!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is my first attempt at POTF fanfiction. I hope you all will not be disappointed. I can't tell you how long this will be. Generally, I know where I'm going with this but things change. What I do know is that this will be PHEELY!  Please review. I love constructive criticism as well as flattery of any kind.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but this storyline. I think that sums it up.**

I am not a musician. Well, not in the sense that I am some accomplished singer/song-writer/guitar playing kind of guy. I beat on my drums and I "rock out"(to use the term VERY loosely) on my Fender when I am feeling particularly angst-ridden. I use my Wizrd to silence my room so that I can pretend my name is Bob Dylan or Jim Croce whenever I'm feeling a bit blue. Which, come to think of it, has happened a lot recently. It's not my fault though. Not this time. I swear I'm not imagining things. She wants me. I can tell. Well, maybe she does. I'm not sure. However, I do know that we did cross that unspoken line somewhere between platonic and complicated almost a year ago. In fact, just this afternoon, we crossed over into an entirely new realm of relationship limbo: sheer terror and confusion. All of this because of one new development…

She Kissed Me.

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"You know what, you really are something Keels." Phil scoffed as he watched her eyes follow some cocky jock down the hallway. He had been telling her about a great new story idea for "Keely's Korner…OF INVESTIGATION" (**a/n: sorry, just downloaded "Broadcast Blues last night)** when she spotted the other boy across the crowded corridor of H.G. Wells.

"Huh?" she said, emerging from her fog. "Oh my gosh, Phil, I'm so sorry. That was rude. But, did you see his eyes? Oooh, they were just like two beautiful pools of…"

"Dirty mop water?" (**a/n: another "BB" reference. Sorry if the joke is lost on a few.**) Phil supplied, partially joking and partially out of irritation with the whole situation. _How come she never looks at me like that? I'm better looking than he is, and smarter to be sure…Damnit, Diffy! Listen to yourself. Remember Alice DeLuca. You're such a hypocrite. _"Kidding Keel. I'm sure he has exquisite eyes," he replied when he felt her eyes searing into him.

"Nice recovery, Diffy."

"Who is he anyway? I've never seen him around here before."

"I'm not sure. He's probably new. I make it a point to know who is who around here. Comes with the oh-so-powerful social territory I hold claim to." Keely preened like a peacock at her own exclamation of rank.

"Well, Miss Congeniality," Phil teased, "I don't like the look of him. It's like he knows he's hot stuff. Guys like that only want one thing, and I care too much about you to see your run idly into the arms of a dude like that."

Keely's mouth formed a small "O" as he spoke those words. Her breath got caught in her chest and her eyes twinkled. She moved ever so slightly towards him until there were mere inches between them. Phil bristled a bit, waiting for the inevitable squabble.

"That is the sweetest thing you've ever said to me," Keely whispered, her breath hot on his cheek as she embraced him. "I love that you want to protect me. Really. It means a lot."

"Uhhh…I-uh, well, yeah." Phil stammered, awkwardly looping his arms around her waist to return the hug.

"Gosh, sweet _AND _articulate. Wow, Phil, what more could a girl ask for?" Keely giggled and then, she pressed her lips lightly to his.

It was over before it even registered in Phil's brain to react. His eyes widened like saucers and his cheeks turned a deep crimson. He let go of her waist and backed away from her. She grinned.

"Gotta book," she said airily. "I'll call you later on, Ok?"

"Sure. Yeah. Ok. Later." Phil mumbled to no one in particular as Keely left him behind.

_Damn. Keely, Keely, Keely. What are you doing to me?_

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When I got home, I collapsed on the couch. I know I looked like a fool. My hand stayed on my lips, trying to recreate that feathery touch from earlier. Like a man addicted to some mind-altering substance, I wanted more of those lips. I needed that high again. She is my drug of choice. Music, it seemed, was my only release from this tension at the moment. Well, it's not actually my ONLY way to release some of the tension, but definitely the most dignified. I ran to my room, silenced it, and picked out a song that I had come to identify with Keely---Now more than ever. My fingers deftly picked out the tune as I softly sang.

_did you expect to kiss me one time  
while looking at me with the same eyes ever again?  
so come on and face it  
so come on and face it  
it's time that we say it_

_you can cross the line whenever you want to  
I'm calling it love soon  
close your mind and waste some time if you have to  
I'm calling it love soon  
it's not about you now  
it's what we are_

_your mother complains that you need a man  
you haven't mentioned me yet  
and all of your friends don't know who I am  
I've been your best kept secret_

_I understand I wasn't part of the plan  
a dollar short, a minute early  
but I am your man  
so come on and face it  
so come on and face it  
it's time that we say it_

_you can cross the line whenever you want to  
I'm calling it love soon  
close your mind and waste some time if you have to  
I'm calling it love soon  
it's not about you now  
it's what we are_

_let's bypass the bullshit and move on because  
the minute hand moves faster than you think it does  
and by no fault of yours and by no fault of mine  
the bottom line is laying in the bed that we've been playing in tonight_

_you can cross the line whenever you want to  
I'm calling it love soon  
close your mind and waste some time if you have to  
I'm calling it love soon  
it's not about you now  
it's what we are_

As I strummed the last chord, my cell phone rang. The caller ID said "Keely Teslow". My heart screamed at me to pick it up. Hell, it practically leapt out of my chest and grabbed it for me. But, my brain told me to let it be. _You need some time to think. Look at all the obstacles in your path. The journey home may be nearer than you expect. She may not feel the same way. It may have been a "friendly kiss." Things could get awkward. Let her leave a message. Be a man, Diffy. Men don't wait by the phone._ The ringing finally stopped, followed shortly by the beep that signified a new voicemail.

I stared at the phone for a minute of two. My resolve was breaking. _Screw this male-ego bullshit._ Slowly, I reached for the phone.

**And there you have it! Chapter one. The song in the story is "Love Soon" by John Mayer. I listened to it for inspiration. You should listen to it for the hell of it. It's quite awesome. Again, review please. Give me the confidence to keep on keeping on.**

**Ciao! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:I own nothing but the plot.However, I'd like to own Ricky Ullman, but you know how that goes...**

_I KISSED PHIL! I KISSED HIM! _

My mind is spinning out of control. I can't believe I was ballsy enough to do that. _Oh my God! Why DID I do that? Do I like him? Well, of course I like him but do I LIKE HIM like him_? I sank into my pillows and sighed. _Should I call him? Explain that it was just a "friendly kiss"? Was it a "friendly kiss"? What about jock boy? Oh, screw jock boy. I am lusting over my best friend from the future with the lips of a god and I don't feel any remorse whatsoever._

As I do in any stressful situation, I grabbed my trusty guitar. My mother bought it for me when I was 10. That guitar was about as big as I was. I carried it around like a child carries their favorite stuffed animal. It always seems to sooth my frayed nerves. My old speckled composition book sat on my nightstand. I quickly thumbed through the pages until I found what I was looking for. I always jotted down lyrics to songs that reminded me of certain people, places, times, events…life really. Quietly, so as not to alert my mother to my general feelings of malaise, I began to finger the song.

_Oh, you creep up like the clouds.  
And you set my soul to ease.  
Then you let your love abound.  
And you bring me to my knees. _

Oh, it's evil,babe, the way you let your grace enrapture me.  
When, well, you know, I'd be insane -  
To ever let that dirty game recapture me.

You made me a shadowboxer, baby.  
I wanna be ready for what you do.  
I been swinging all around me.  
'cause I don't know when you're gonna make your move.

Oh, your gaze is dangerous.  
And you fill your space so sweet.  
If I let you get too close,  
You'll set your spell on me.

So, darlin', I just wanna say.  
Just in case I don't come through.  
I was on to every play.  
I just wanted you.

As the song died, it was time for me to call him. I had to let him know what was going on in my head. My stomach churned as my hands clasped my cell phone. My pulse quickened as I dialed his number. It rang. It rang for what felt like an eternity. I wanted to throw up, to hang up, to give up. Just as I was ready to throw in the proverbial towel, his voice broke through the maddening silence.

"Hey, this is Phil. You know what to do. So, yeah. Bye."

Then, there was a beep. My mouth got dry. _Say something, damnit! Anything!_

"Umm, Hey I guess. It's me. I assume you're just as confused as I am right now. We need to talk. Meet me at our place at 7. Seriously, Phil. Please just be there."

I hung up. Tears filled my eyes and my face got really hot. _Why am I crying? I did this to myself. It was a split second decision. Things will be normal after we talk. Phil is your best friend. It's going to be Ok._ I got off of my bed and wiped my eyes. It was time to get ready for the big night ahead.

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I reached my voicemail inbox. I pressed in the access code and waited. My breathing was a bit labored and my palms got sweaty. _God, you're lame. It's just a voicemail. Jesus._ Finally, I heard her voice.

"Umm, Hey I guess. It's me. I assume you're just as confused as I am right now. We need to talk. Meet me at our place at 7. Seriously, Phil. Please just be there."

My heart raced. She sounded so nervous. Totally out of character for her. _She wants me too? Or she just wants to let me down easy? I will never understand women._ I dialed her number back. Hopefully, she wouldn't pick up. I was afraid that my true feelings would come pouring out like word-vomit if I heard her voice. After a number of rings, the answering machine picked up.

"Hey! I'm not here, so leave a message after the beep. Thanks! Have a great day!"

BEEP!

"Yeah, I'll be there at 7. Later."

I ran my hands through my hair and fell back on my bed. _I hate this._

**And so ends Chapter 2. Sorry it's so short. I've gotta get packed up to go back to school in the next few days. Thanks for the reviews. I can't believe that I'm already on someone's alerts and someone's favorite stories page. WOW! It means more than you know.**

**oh, and the song in this chapteris "Shadowboxer" by Fiona Apple.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Sorry it took me so long to update. Enjoy and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **

_It's 6:45. Fifteen minutes to go before I know what's going on between us. Why did she do that? What does it all mean? How could I face her everyday if she told me it was just a friendship kiss? Is there such a thing as a friendship kiss? Maybe I should just take the offensive here. Protect myself by lying about my feelings? Wouldn't that protect her too in the long run? What if we leave? How could I ever say good-bye to her, especially if we were together…_

"Did the kiss mean she wants us to be together? Why am I talking to myself? Can Pim hear me? Stop that, Diffy!" Phil clamped his hand over his mouth as he realized his thoughts were not merely stopping at his brain, but his vocal chords as well.

"Hey Phil! Next time you're having an existential crisis, silence your room. You almost make it too easy to torture!" shouted Pim from her bedroom. She rolled her eyes and chuckled sinisterly. "So Blondie finally put the moves on Phil. This could get really interesting. It's a good thing I'm so devious. Otherwise, such a glorious predicament would be lost on a fluffier, sugarcoated sibling. MWAHAHAAAHHAAAA!"

"Uh, Pim?" Phil said as he stuck his head in her doorway.

"What?" Pim replied, frightened by the unexpected sound of his voice.

"You might want to try practicing the concept of inner-monologue. I heard all of that. Oh, and it might be a good idea to tone down the maniacal laughter. It's a tad much."

"Right."

"Yeah…I'm gonna go now" he said as made his way down the stairs and out the front door.

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"Mom, have you seen my low rise boot-cut stretch jeans with the dark rinse?" yelled Keely as she franticly threw pants all across her room. She wanted to look perfect and

it was already five minutes till 7.

"No I haven't, Butternut! Have you checked the laundry room?"

"No time! I'm late to meet Phil." Keely was ready to cry. Nothing was going like she wanted it to. _Of course, if I hadn't kissed him I wouldn't be in this position right now. Smooth move, Teslow._ She finally settled on a pair of black pants. _Well, it's now or never. _"Mom, I'm going out. I'll be back later on," she shouted as she made her way to the front door.

"Ok, dumpling. Tell Phil I said hi."

"Oh…umm…yeah. Will do. Love you!"

Mandy Teslow sighed as her only child ran out the door. _Something is definitely going on with those two. I hope she knows what she's doing._

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As I walked the streets of postcard-perfect Pickford, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. I had to tell Keely that I wanted to be with her. Unfortunately, I also had to tell her that it would never work out because of my family's "situation." I wanted to turn around and go back home. I didn't want to look her in the eye. Her eyes made me melt. They are my Achilles heel, so to speak. I would kill a man if she looked me in the eyes and told me to. Right at 7pm, I arrived at the park by H.G.Wells. We loved it there. It was our spot. Many long nights had been spent teetering and talking and laughing on the see-saw. Sometimes after a particularly trying day, I'd sit with her as she fought back tears on the drawbridge of the kiddie pirate ship. Slowly, I climbed up the ladder to the pirate ship and sat down on the cold molded plastic and I waited for my girl. _Well, there's no turning back now…_

**TA-DA! It's a bit short and a bit of a cliffie! I hope you enjoyed it. Please REVIEW and send me any suggestions for how you want this to go. I have some sketchy ideas, but I want you all to be happy with it too. Have a great day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: sorry it has taken me so long to update. i had major writer's block but finally, after reading some incredible stuff here, i have been inspired. this is the last chapter of the story. it's kinda long, but i hope you all enjoy it. also, PLEASE REVIEW! i need to know if you all think i am good enough to write another pheely fic. i have recieved over 700 hits on this story, but only 10 reviews. what is up with that? ok, off of the soapboax. on with the story:)**

**Disclaimer: i do not own POTF or any of these characters. i just own this story. so yeah. don't sue.**

The cold wind whipped across my face as I made my way to the park. My mouth was super dry and my cheeks were flushed from the night air. _Phil is probably trying to figure out how to let me down. Why was I so stupid? I can't do this. I need to go home…but I can't leave him there alone. God-damnit. Maybe I should just tell him that we should just be friends…_

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I saw her walking up to the park. She looked so beautiful bundled up in her coat. Her face looked flushed and her hair was piled messily upon her head. _I wonder how long it took her to achieve that "I just threw my hair up like this but isn't it sexy?" look. _I smirked. Yeah, she took her time to get ready for this moment. As she climbed up the ladder, I got more and more nervous. I fiddled with a hole in the knee of my jeans, slowly separating the frayed pieces. She quietly sat down across from me on the kiddie-boat and folded her hands in her lap. I looked at her and smiled and she just kind of turned away. _Uh Oh. Maybe she doesn't feel the same way. I've just got to resolve this. We can still be friends if I tell her right?_

"So, I guess we have some things to discuss." I began.

"Yeah, I guess we do."

"Well…about earlier. What was that all about?"

"I guess I just got caught up in the moment. You were so sweet and I just felt like kissing you. End of story."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

We sat there in awkward silence for a few minutes. She aimlessly dug her nails into the hard plastic of the boat, creating little trails while I just mulled over what she had said. Finally, the tension was too much for me. I had to say something, anything.

"I'm glad you kissed me." I whispered.

"You are?" she said, staring right into my eyes. She looked surprised.

"Yes. I am. It was incredible. I can't stop thinking about it."

"Me neither." She admitted, her voice barely more than a sigh.

"Really? I thought you were ashamed of it."

"Well, I was ashamed only because I thought you would think I was overstepping my boundaries. I thought that I might have gotten my signals crossed."

"Oh Keel. I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I care about you so much. That kiss only confirmed everything I had been eager to bury."

"You wanted to bury me?" she said, looking a little hurt.

"I never wanted to bury you. I wanted to bury the idea of us. Not 'friendship us' but 'lovers us.' I didn't want to get my hopes up, I was afraid to get hurt."

As I said that, I noticed Keely creeping closer to me every so slightly. Her eyes had a glassy look to them, like she was holding back the floods from raining down her lovely face. She grabbed my hand and I looked down to see our fingers meshed perfectly together.

"Look at that." I said, trying to make my voice as even as possible. My emotions were really getting caught up in the beauty of this moment. "Look at how well they fit."

She smiled at me and said, "It reminds me of the sea and the sky. You can't tell where one starts and the other stops. It's nature's idea of perfection."

"I'm far from perfect, Keel. I snore, I laugh too loudly at my own jokes, I'm from the future, and my breath smells bad when I wake up."

She laughed. It sounded like a clear bell. I leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. She stooped her head to meet mine and I felt her forehead press up against mind.

"I'm not perfect either, and I don't want you to be anything other than Phil Diffy. I think you're fabulous they way that you are. Morning breath included."

"Speaking of which, did you have Mexican for dinner?" I joked, chuckling to myself. Just to break the intensity of the moment. I was so close to kissing her but I needed to do it right. I needed to guarantee that she was mine. She leapt back in horror, covering her mouth and eyes wide.

"Oh my God! I knew I should have brushed one more time. I'm so sorry, Phil. Oh my God!" she shrieked. I put my free hand on her cheek and gently traced my thumb along her jaw line. She softened a bit.

"Keely, I was just kidding. I could care less about your burrito breath."

"Enchiladas."

"Whatever. What I've been dying to say is that I want to be more than your best friend. I want to be the guy who makes you crazy like you make me. I want to be the guy who can hold you in his arms during a movie. I want to be the guy who can take you out on the town and show you off. I want to be the guy that can see you going down the hall and say 'yeah, she's mine.' Will you let me be that guy, Keel? Please?"

Her eyes sparkled as I made my speech. She nuzzled my hand that was resting on her cheek and smiled. But then, a cloud formed behind her eyes. Her grin faded and she began to speak in a very serious tone.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, what if you have to leave? What if your dad gathers you all up tomorrow and says 'hey family, we're going home'? What do you do then?" Her tone fluctuated a bit as she reached the end of her thought. I looked deep into her eyes, into her soul and I spoke the words that rested heavily on my heart.

"I would rather be with you for a day than wish I had for an eternity."

The flood that had so viciously threatened her face finally broke through its dam. Tears streaked down her cheeks and onto her perfect lips. Little rivulets of mascara trickled from her lashes, but a smile that lit up the whole park showed her true feelings.

"Phil, I would love for you to be that guy. I would love it more than anything in this world." She said as she released my hand to envelope me into a tight hug.

"Well, it's settled then," I whispered into her ear as we embraced. "Should we christen this boat? Set sail on the sea of life, ride the waves of our new lives together, drop the anchor of friendship and cast off into the ocean of romance…"

"Shut up and kiss me, Diffy." She said with just a hint of a grin on her lips.

"With pleasure, Teslow."

I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. It was sweet, sensual, and full of passion.

Just like my girl.

_Yeah, my girl…_

**Well, that's it for this tale. PLEASE REVIEW!**

**also, if you happen to enjoy the AMAZING TV show, Arrested Development, i have written and posted a short and sweet oneshot over in that category. please check it out. i'm pretty proud of it. it's hard to capture the sweetness of George-Michael and Maeby's cousin lust.**


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